Early summer means cicadas chant through the days
planet, Jupiter, lies along the southern horizon after dark.
The Stars: The Sun’s powerful position in Cancer throughout the month is enhanced by the position of Sirius, the Dog Star, located almost due south at noon and contributing (according to tradition) to the Dog Days of Middle Summer.
Weather Trends: On July 13, the Moon reaches perigee, enhancing the power of the new Moon and strengthening the mid-July weather system due around July 14. Thunderstorms could lodge the wheat still standing in the fields, and hail could shred the corn. Lunar conditions may contribute to a hurricane in the Caribbean.
The period between July 13 and 15 brings cooler conditions in the 70s twenty-five percent of the years, with the 13th being known to see a high just in the 60s. On the other hand, highs above 100 are more likely to occur on July 15 and 16 than any other days of the lower Midwestern year. Nighttime lows typically remain in the 60s, but chilly 50s occur an average of 15 percent of the time.
The Natural Calendar: At the start of summer ebb tide, the land is on the early side of cicada song; fireflies are still vigorous, fawns a third grown, cattails still gold from pollen. The first katydids begin singing after dark, and crickets intensify their song. A slight turning of the leaves begins on some of the redbuds, Virginia creepers, box elders and buckeyes. Foliage of Japanese honeysuckle and the multiflora roses often show patches of yellow
Fish, Insects, Livestock and Birds: After the July 6 cool front passes through, Dog Day conditions keep the barometer stable until the approach of the July 14 cool front. Afternoon fishing will keep the Moon above you throughout the period. Late this week, the first cicadas (or harvest flies) of the year growl and rasp at noon. They are telling you that Japanese beetles are eating all your crops and flowers, and that squash beetles are living in the squash vines.
In the Field and Garden: The most intense period of heat stress now begins for summer crops. San Jose scale and flathead borers are active on flowering fruit trees. Farms plant double-crop beans after wheat harvest. Set out autumn collards, kale, cabbage, and broccoli while the Moon waxes. Keep flowers and vegetables well watered and fed to help them resist the onslaught of the insects and weather.
Watch for brown spots in the lawn, signs of the sod webworm. Give plenty of water to the infected area. And don’t cut the lawn too short while the summer is at its hottest; let it rest a little longer than you would in June, and cut it high.
Marketing Notes: Late-planted sweet corn should now fill in for the first waves of early sweet corn. Consider lowering prices on your tomatoes as almost every tomato on the vine wants to ripen. Add fresh peaches to the blackberries on your roadside stand. Calculate estimated losses in productivity due to late planting, drought, insect infestations, hail and other problems. Plan counter-measures such as increased production in other areas of your farm and garden operation. Those who keep sheep and goats can soon expect a rise in inquiries about their lamb and chevon, thanks to September’s plethora of ethnic feasts.
The Almanack Horoscope: Dog Day heat and the influence of the waxing Moon keep seasonal stress relatively high throughout the week. Give yourself plenty of time to accomplish tasks during this part of the month. If you are going on vacation, try to eliminate as many extra chores, side trips and activities as possible in order to maintain a low level of personal tensions - and allow you to deal with all the meteorological stress.
Journal
July 2004: I walk out of the high sun into the dark, cool woods. It is the third week of middle summer, and everything is quiet and subdued in this space between the forest’s many transitions. May apples have toppled over, foliage dappled with yellow. Leafcup plants have been eaten off by deer, will bloom as they recover. Damp moss on a fallen tree glows in the twilight beneath the canopy.
Pollen has disappeared from the clustered snakeroot. Some spicebushes and privets have green berries.Touch-me-nots are tall but not budded yet. The wood nettle is still not ready to flower. Light cobwebs, not the stickier ones of the late summer’s micrathenas, sometimes lie across my way.
A few inches above last year’s layer of leaves, the foliage of spring’s ginger, waterleaf and bloodroot lingers as a low, intermittent canopy, replacing the common chickweed that dominated the forest floor in spring. A lone daisy fleabane and one wilted ragwort have blossoms near a spring that crosses the path.
The shy stalks of August’s ironweed, zig-zag goldenrod, white snakeroot and small-flowered asters blend into the honeysuckles, their timing tuned by heat and the amount of sunlight to hold them until late summer. Two damselflies hover near the grizzled skunk cabbage. Cardinals call in the distance. Robins cluck to guide their young. Follow the days of July with Bill Felker’s book,“A Daybook for July in Yellow Springs, Ohio” that contains all of his daily almanack notes for that month and can be used throughout the Miami Valley. Order on Amazon.com.